Report on readiness for GCSE and GCE exams
30 May 2008
Ofqual publishes report on readiness for the summer GCSE and GCE exams in England
Ofqual, the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator, today published its first report on the readiness of the exam system for the summer 2008 exams.
Ofqual has looked at the awarding bodies' customer service systems and their use of new technology to ensure the smooth running of this summer's exams.
Kathleen Tattersall, Chair of Ofqual, said:
'It's Ofqual's job to ensure that the awarding bodies have good systems in place to deliver this year's exams successfully. We have looked in advance at two particular areas.
'The use of new technology in the exams system is an exciting development that awarding bodies are increasingly exploring. While each awarding body's system is unique we are confident that the awarding bodies are all operating within the code of practice and in line with our e assessment principles. I encourage the awarding bodies to continue using innovative technology to deliver qualifications to ensure that learners have access to the best possible system and the benefits that offers them.
'We are assured that the awarding bodies have a range of customer service systems in place to deal with queries. It is important that awarding bodies provide schools and colleges with a high level of support and deal with enquiries accurately and promptly.'
Notes to editors
1. A copy of the report can be downloaded for this page
2. The report relates to the three English awarding bodies; AQA, Edexcel and OCR.
3. Ofqual in its interim form is a part of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). On 2 April 2008 Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, announced that the government intended to legislate to make Ofqual a separate statutory authority reporting directly to Parliament.
4. Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, announced the appointment of Kathleen Tattersall as Chair of Ofqual on 2 April 2008. Prior to legislation being passed to establish Ofqual on a statutory basis, Kathleen Tattersall is a QCA Board member and Chair of its Ofqual committee.
5. To find out more about Ofqual, visit our website www.Ofqual.gov.uk.
6. For further information please contact the Ofqual press office Newsdesk on 0300 303 3342 or the out-of-hours duty press officer on 07798 924 552. Members of the public should contact the Ofqual helpline on 0300 303 3346. Alternative ways to contact Ofqual can be found in the 'contact us' section of our website.